The Indian army and Assam Rifles have evacuated over 16,000 people from the violence-hit areas of Manipur, official sources said on Saturday. Efforts are underway to bring the overall situation under control and restore normalcy in the state. Reports said that flag marches are being held to control the situation.

On the other hand, defence sources said that as many as 120 columns of the Indian army and Assam Rifles have deployed in the violence-hit areas of the state and 10 CRPF companies are on their way to Manipur.

Indian Army and Assam Rifles were requisitioned by Manipur Government on the intervening night of May 3 and May 4, 2023, in the immediate aftermath of inter-community clashes which erupted in a few districts of Manipur.

However, prompt response by security forces led to the rescuing of civilians of all communities from various minority pockets of areas affected by violence. As a result of the proactive and timely response, Churachandpur, KPI, Moreh and Kakching are now under firm control with no major violence reported since yesterday night. According to reports, after remaining peaceful for the past 18 hours, several violent incidents took place in Churachandpur district on Friday night.

Meanwhile, in view of the violence, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh called for an all-party meeting on Saturday. Political parties including Congress, NPF, NPP, CPI (M), Aam Aadmi Party and Shiv Sena attended the meeting.